Fate with a stranger
by HippieLuchaSoul
Summary: Stephanie McMahon is your average girl, and when she meets the handsome stranger in the dark, the rest is history.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi guys! For the longestttttttt, I've wanted to try my hand at a Steph/HHH story, but I didn't think I would be too good at it. But what the hay, gotta try somewhere. They are a really influential couple, and two people I always thought complimented eachother since I was a child, they are too cute. I got the idea of actually putting my spin on how Steph and HHH came to be, so I hope you guys like. Thank you, and enjoy!_

"What's your name?"

The beautiful brunette turned sharply, the voice catching her off guard. Going out near the dock after wrestling events was only something she knew of, and for someone to have discovered her whereabouts was baffling. She studied the tall shadow, wondering who it could be, for she couldn't make out the voice of the stranger approaching her. She knew it was a male voice, and that made her even more terrified. She moved backwards swiftly as she noticed the figure approaching her, before she began to scream for help. The shadow gasped softly, grabbing her wrist to calm her as he gave her a soft smile. Stephanie's eyes softened, as her breathing calmed a bit, recognizing the stranger in the dark.

"Paul..? Its Steph.. Stephanie. I guess we never formally met.."

Stephanie stood up quickly, dusting off her satin skirt from all the debris from the ground. She was so embarrassed by her screaming, where she couldn't even try to make eye contact with Paul, who's known by everyone else as Hunter. But she always heard her father call him Paul, so Paul it is. Paul smiled softly, blushing a bit from their hands connecting. "Sorry I scared you. I noticed you leaving, and I thought it'd be a perfect time to finally introduce myself. I'm-"

"Paul Levesque. I know who you are, of course." Stephanie chuckled a bit, wondering why a man so large would be so timid around her. It was odd, for when she saw Paul with his friends, he seemed to be quite the jokester. Now alone with her under the soft reflection of the moon, he seemed almost vulnerable, like a small boy. "Nice meeting you, Paul. I'm so surprised you never knew who I was. I guess it makes sense though that you would know Shane first, though." Paul nodded thoughtfully, trying to muster up more to say. But all he could hear in his mind was:

_ "Here you go, you big dope. You've followed her for weeks now, and you can't even remember your fucking name! Its Paul! Paul! Tell her about the upcoming storyline, that'll work. Maybe then you can grow some balls and actually talk to the chick."_

Paul nodded again from his thoughts, as Stephanie studied him in bewilderment. She cocked her head a bit, before speaking softly into the night. "Are you okay, Paul? You look a little strange.." He nodded softly, before uttering the silliest thing known to man.

"You're going to be my wife. For the show. The show.. WWF. Not actual, marriage, thing..But-nevermind"


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm sorry, what?"

Stephanie's blue hues studied Paul as he scrambled with his words. This guy was all over the damn place. First, he stared. Then, he babbled. Now, he's talking about marriage, real marriage, but scripted marriage? Stephanie grabbed her temples to try to calm her speeding mind.

"Look, Stephanie, I gotta go." Paul sighed sadly, before turning towards the other direction. Stephanie felt a twinge of guilt, before patting his wrist softly, turning him towards her. "Hey, its been a long night. The Marriott Hotel is up the way, maybe we can get a bite to eat from the diner in there, and try to figure things out. My damn father is so abrupt with these storylines, I thought I was supposed to be marrying Test. Anyway, its not too far from this lake. We can just walk up there, honestly."

Paul lightened up a bit, happy that he didn't come off like a total douche by not being able to complete a sentence. He wasn't very talkative to begin with, and with meeting new people, it didn't help. He walked alongside Stephanie, taking in the soft breeze of the night. They walked in silence, before Stephanie spoke softly. "You know, that "The Game" gimmick is pretty damn sweet. I saw the production team whipping up your Titantron in the back, and I must say, you and Joanie make one intimidating couple."

Paul laughed softly, so happy that Stephanie broke the silence. If she didn't say anything, he sure as hell wasn't going to embarrass himself by saying another word. "Yeah, its awesome. I know Mr. McMahon talked to me about her and I breaking free from DX and doing our own thing, so I dug it. I'm happy if the team is happy." Stephanie gave a thoughtful smile, before crossing her arms, feeling a chill hit her body. Paul tried not to study her movements, as he let his hazel eyes trail the ground. He studied her once more, before speaking. "And what do they have planned for you? Maybe a management role? Women's Title?"

Stephanie's laugh rang throughout the night, startling Paul and a few animals in the distance. She covered her mouth, before giving a shy giggle. "Paul, come on now. I could see management, but Diva? Look at me. I wouldn't scare a fly, and hell, I wouldn't entice any man. I've never even had a boyfriend, or been on a date."

Paul stared at her, blown away that she even thought that way. Lord knows he wouldn't have approached her if he didn't find her to be absolutely beautiful. He shook his head, wondering where exactly these thoughts came from. "Well, I beg to differ. Joanie and I spoke about how beautifu-...Nice looking, you were. You don't have to be some Playboy Bunny to be beautiful."

Stephanie found her face reddening from his words. She knew he meant nothing by his comment, but it said alot to her about who Paul Levesque really was. As they approached the beautiful hotel doors, Stephanie swayed nervously, knowing that he wouldn't be caught dead next to her as he entered the establishment. It was only a matter of time before he walked quickly in before her, acting as if they hadn't walked together. But to her surprise, he nonchalantly held the door, waiting for her to walk through. He chuckled a bit, before giving her a polite smile.

"We ain't got all night, Lord knows you don't want any fella seeing you with a square like myself."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi guys! I'm having a bit of a ball writing this story. I'm going off pure memory from this time years ago, and Stephanie and Triple H's interactions are just subtly adorable. Thanks so much for reading! Xo_

Stephanie shifted a bit as she sat in her booth, waiting for Paul to return from the bathroom. She was fine in the dark, but realizing she'd have to sit in-front of this man and eat just made her panic. Its not like she liked him, but, she was a girl who didn't surround herself with many men. It was quite ironic, given her father's occupation, but it still wasn't easy. She noticed three small girls playing with what she assumed to be their mother and father in the hotel lobby, and it made her smile softly.

"You like kids?"

Stephanie gasped softly, not even realizing Paul had been sitting at the table for quite sometime now. She made slight eye contact, shrugging at the question. "They're okay. I've always loved little girls, though. Always wanted my own little princess to dress up. Never had any sisters, plus being the youngest, I was everyone else's little girl. I'm just babbling, sorry. Kids are really cute, though." She stared at her nails, focusing hard on the soft red polish.

Paul studied her, before nodding thoughtfully. "I like kids, too. With this profession, I don't know if I'll get to have that chance. God willingly, maybe. But I just can't see it happening." Stephanie's eyes leveled to him, as she noticed him studying his menu. She continued to stare until his eyes locked with hers, sending a bit of a chill through her body. She gave a polite smile as he let his eyes fall back down to his menu, watching him mouth the choices of food he could receive. Stephanie glanced behind her again, as she noticed the little girls tuckered out from their playing. It caused her to giggle softly, as Paul smiled to himself from the sound.

After awhile, the waiter came to the table to place orders, and in no time was back with the food. Stephanie ordered a simple salad, and Paul ordered a T-Bone steak with potatoes. Stephanie tried not to gawk at his food, for she had never seen a steak that big. Paul found himself gawking at her salad when she wasn't looking, for he had never seen someone eat something so small. She nibbled quietly on the lettuce, letting her thoughts carry her through the dinner. Paul dug into his steak, surprisingly hungry after just eating not too long ago. He caught Stephanie staring once again, and it prompted him to give her a little nudge under the table.

"Hungry? You can have some of this steak, you know. I don't mind sharing, since you seem friendly enough." Stephanie chuckled, declining, before letting her eyes fall upon him once again. He was a handsome man, she admitted, but no one she could actually see dating. She tried not to dabble with the athletes, for she always knew they were trouble. Paul was different, though, and it attracted her to him. She noticed his eyes were a soft hazel, and they shifted occasionally with his disposition. He had a broad nose, and it truly complimented his face. He had hair that you only saw on most women, and she couldn't help but be jealous. She chuckled again from her thoughts, as Paul's eyes fell upon her.

She was gorgeous, the simplicity of her was what really made him go wild. He had seen bikini models, women that could drive men into a spin with their bodies, yet Stephanie in her lavender sweater with a leather skirt made him wish he could get to know her more. Despite what most said, he wasn't a man who cared about what someone could give him. Someone who was a true person really made him long to have them near. He wondered what color her eyes were, for he had noticed that occasionally they would appear to be grey, and other times they would be an ice blue. He found his eyes falling upon her chin, for he found that strangely to be gorgeous. He let his eyes fall against his plate as he noticed he had eaten everything. Stephanie found herself chuckling again, and Paul slouched back, chuckling back at her.

Stephanie stared at him, before studying him intently. "What are you laughing at?" Paul shrugged, letting his eyes fall against hers. "I heard you laugh, so I thought, "What the hell?", you know?" Stephanie laughed loudly, watching him as he cleaned his face from his meal "You are a strange man, Paul Levesque. But I like you, I like strange people." Paul laughed, snatching a piece of her salad from the tiny bowl. "I'm flattered, Steph. Not many notice my charm, especially when my face is greasy from a steak." They both laughed softly, before returning to their shy positions. Paul spoke up first finally, and it made Stephanie sigh from relief.

"About this storyline... I wonder why your father chose us to partake in it as a couple? We only knew each other in passing, and don't know one damn thing about each other." Stephanie agreed, as she cleaned her lips from the Italian dressing. "I know, its odd. But, I guess he didn't see much chemistry between Test and I. Maybe he thought we'd be a great fit, not sure. My father has a method to his madness, so we'll see." She smiled softly, before resting in her booth. "But that makes me question where that would leave Joanie and yourself. You guys are both an onscreen couple, and a couple in reality, correct?"

The question made Paul cringe. He had been basically crushing on this woman from a far, and when the question of his girlfriend was brought to the table, he realized he hadn't thought of her one time during this dinner. "Yeah, well.. I know Joanie wants to do alot for the Women's Division. So I think she'd be alright, I don't think she likes carrying dead weight with me as a sidekick. She's gone on to do incredible things in this business with being the first woman to do things like fight men, so I think its for the best." Stephanie nodded, understanding where Paul was coming from. "Well, I guess we are on our way to be Husband and Wife, Paul. Luckily you told me before I went into creative feeling clueless. What else did you hear?"

Paul racked his brain, before it fell upon the slight details he had heard about it all. "Something about Vegas, me taking you somewhere and marrying you, with you drugged or sleep, one of them. I guess the greatest way to marry a girl, huh?" She laughed, knowing her wacky father had to be the one to come up with this. They found themselves laughing a bit more about the situation, before Stephanie looked around at the empty lobby. She studied her watch, before sighing a bit.

"Its 3:30am.. We've been here for nearly seven hours. The guys have long gone from after the show, so we might as well take a room here. Two rooms." Paul reddened from the thought of having one room, but was happy that there was a second possibility. They found their way to the front desk, as they asked for two rooms for the night. The African American woman shrugged sadly at them, as they both found themselves panicking.

"Only one room left. But I could always bring extra sheets?"


	4. Chapter 4

Stephanie tried to control her breathing as she followed the petite woman to their hotel room. _THEIR_ hotel room, not hers, not his, their. She couldn't believe she allowed herself to get so wrapped up into conversation that she lost track of time. She glanced over at Paul, and noticed his slight fidgeting. Seeing his nervousness calmed her a bit, for she knew he wasn't some animal who would pounce on her as soon as they got alone.

"Here we are, Mr. and Mrs. Levesque. I hope-"

Stephanie gasped loudly, before politely correcting the woman. "We aren't married, he's taken and I'm just his coworker." The woman nodded respectfully, as she could have sworn they were something. She had noticed them in the lobby for hours, and she couldn't help but think they made a beautiful couple. She opened the door, and Stephanie found herself in awe. It was an all creme room, the walls being a soft champagne color, and the carpet looking as if it was from a new home. The bed wasn't even king sized, it had to be something far above it, for even though she was wealthy, she had never seen something so extravagant. The pillows resembled clouds, and she couldn't help but to wonder what it would feel like to rest her head against them. She studied the huge TV, that almost made her think of a spaceship of some sort. She turned towards the bathroom, and nearly squealed from the marble flooring and angelic-like marble bathtub.

Paul laughed to himself watching her, as he gave the clerk a bit of a pat. "Think she's in heaven looking at all of this?" The clerk laughed, leading him to the closet as she pulled a few his and her's robes out, and also night clothing. "This is for you two, if you need it for the night. I noticed you two had no bags with you, so I hope it can be of service. I'm here overnight, so please call the front desk if you need me. Also, the separate sheets are in the closet for whoever may need them. Have a goodnight, you two."

The clerk nodded softly, before disappearing outside the door. Stephanie shook her head to come down from her day-dreaming, as she noticed Paul running bath water. She automatically died inside, wondering who the water was for.

_"Calm yourself, Stephanie. He's not going to make you take one with him. He's taken, you don't like him, so why worry?" _

She nodded at her thoughts before clasping her hand over her mouth, watching him remove his shirt. She had no clue why she was blushing, but it could have been from her eyes studying his silhouette. She had to admit, he was a beautiful man. But she had absolutely no feelings for him. He was a kind guy, and that was it. Wasn't it?

Paul peeked outside the door to notice Stephanie watching television. He couldn't help but to study her movements again, and he shook his head softly. There was no way someone like Steph would even look twice at him. Stephanie's head turned after awhile, as she gave him a tiny greeting. "How's the bathroom in there?" Paul laughed a bit, knowing he felt like he was in heaven from bathing in such a beautiful place. He came from the bathroom, and Stephanie found herself bursting into laughter. Paul looked in the mirror, and had to laugh himself at the pajamas he wore that were thirty times too small. He looked like the Incredible Hulk transforming.

"Hardee Har Har.. I guess they don't make clothing for men my size. Damn it. Luckily I have some spare shorts." Stephanie wiped her eyes from her tears, as she tried to muffle her laughter. Paul was happy that something at his expense broke the ice once more, and he found himself smiling a bit. Stephanie rolled the covers out on the ground, as Paul stopped her abruptly. "You're not sleeping on the floor, no way. Take the bed. I'm used to sleeping on the floor." Stephanie shrugged, not wanting to take a bed that big for herself, knowing he was a larger man. "Well, if you insist. I don't mind at all." Paul chuckled, turning off the TV before dimming the lights. "I saw how you eyed that bed, its all yours. I think it'd like someone much more beautiful in it anyhow."

He stopped, cringing that he had let that word slip once again, but when he glanced at Stephanie, he noticed she was so in awe of the plushy bed, that she didn't catch what he said. Thank God. As he laid on the floor, he found himself staring at the ceiling, and on the opposite end of the room, Stephanie did the same thing. Stephanie rolled on her side, and watched him from the bed. Luckily, the lights were off, so he couldn't notice her staring. She wondered why she had never formally met someone like him, and wondered what kind of fate this was. Of course she didn't mean romantically, but Paul was someone she could see as a long-term friend. He was already so protective of her, and took his time with her. She sighed softly, before finding the courage to speak into the dark.

"What do you want out of life?"

Paul was caught off guard, for he had never been asked that question. In the darkness, he smiled a bit, before answering her.

"Happiness."

Stephanie nodded, for that would be a logical answer from anyone. But, she expected him to say World Titles, being on top, yet his answer was short and sweet. "I would like that too, Paul. You can never get enough happiness. Are you happy at the moment with your life?" Paul found himself surprised again, for he didn't expect her to honestly care much. "I'm content. Blessed. Wouldn't say happy, but I'm not complaining." Stephanie made a soft noise, agreeing with him, before nestling herself in her pillow. "I feel the same. I just think something's missing, and daily I find myself growing frustrated from wondering what that is. Or who. I think maybe its a disconnect with God, maybe I need to meet someone to understand what what missing piece is."

Paul found himself sitting up, blown away that he related so much to the younger woman. For someone he only knew in passing, he felt as if he had always known her. "That's wild, Steph, I've always felt that way. I thought maybe my wrestling was slacking, but it has to be something more. Maybe we're too young to see it yet, but I think it'll come to us eventually."

Stephanie smiled, happy that they could connect again in the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Paul stirred softly in his sleep, feeling the heat of the sunrise wash through the hotel room. His hazel hues squinted softly, as he tried to shake off his sleep, wondering what time it could be. His eyes fell upon the clock, as he sighed from relief.

_"7:30am, perfect timing." _

His eyes fell upon the bed, as he studied Stephanie intently. He watched as she chewed her lip, shifting softly in her sleep. Her hair was messy from sleeping, but absolutely breathtaking, and imperfect. She looked so small under the thick sheets, and he found it cute that she was balled into the fetal position as she slept, like a small child. The buzzing of his pager shook him from his thoughts, as he read the flashing name across the screen.

_"Joanie.." _

He sighed guiltily, realizing he hadn't thought about her once since being with Stephanie. He walked to the phone, hoping that Joanie wouldn't blow up too much about his whereabouts. As she answered the phone, he held his breath, waiting on the lecture. "Paul, where have you been? The boys and I waited for the longest for you to go to the bar with us. We were supposed to be celebrating your big push, remember?" Paul sighed, realizing he didn't remember a thing they had told him that night. All he could recall was seeing the beautiful brunette wander off listening to her headphones. He didn't want to hurt Joanie, but he had to speak to her on where their relationship stood. Even before Stephanie wandered in his life, he had numerous doubts on what Joanie and he truly were. Were they together for intimacies only? Were they together because they worked together? He couldn't figure out the true answer.

"Paul...? I'm talking to you, dork, what's going on?" Paul couldn't hear what Joanie said, because he found himself lost at the sight of Stephanie. During sometime that he was on the phone, she had found her way into the bathroom. She forgot to shut the door, and he watched as she smiled goofily in the mirror, doing little model poses to a soft rock jam. She shook her head, letting her dark hair fall softly against her back. Her silk robe showed her true shape, and Paul found himself at a loss of words from how gorgeous she was. "

Joan, I'm sorry. Lost track of what I was saying. I'll be headed out soon, so I'll catch you at the show tonight." Joanie sat on the other side, smiling a bit from her road buddies being goofy, as she turned her attention back to Paul. "Sure, babe. See you tonight. I love you." Paul studied Stephanie once more, as he noticed her bright personality had taken a somber turn with a slow ballad coming on that must have meant something to her. He watched her look down, studying her hands sadly, as he felt his heart throb, wishing he could be the one to make her smile again.

"I love you too..."

Joanie smiled for Paul's words, as she hung up. After awhile, Stephanie came from the bathroom, giving Paul a polite nod. He nodded back, running his hands through his thick, sandy hair. "So, how did you sleep on that bed? I woke up and saw you knocked out. Must have been quite the dream bed for you." Stephanie giggled, embarrassed that she probably looked like a slobbery mess when he saw her. "Yeah, pretty sweet bed. I have to invest in getting one, for sure." Paul gave her a light chuckle, before gathering the little belongings he brought into the room. "I had an amazing night. Seems like I'm on the road so much, I haven't gotten the chance to just relax, you know?" Stephanie nodded, understanding what he must feel with always having to perform, and find a few hours out of the night to sleep.

"I agree wholeheartedly. I'll try to tell Daddy to take it easy on you, hahaha. But honestly, he likes you so much. Its why I was surprised we never met. At dinner, anywhere he goes, he talks so highly of you. So I know he works you because he knows you're the future of this business." Paul found his face growing beet red. He wondered for awhile how he was viewed in the company, and to hear the owner's daughter talk about him as if he was her family made his heart jump. He played it off by giving a slight shrug and a tiny smile. "I'm sure Vince finds something about me pretty decent. I'll thank him if I ever have the chance."

Stephanie smiled, as they made their way towards the door. She paused slightly, feeling his body inches away from hers. Stephanie was a small girl for the most part, slightly taller than other girls at 5'8, but she had a petite frame with long, beautiful legs. But near Paul, she felt so tiny. She gained the courage to look up at him, as he looked down at her, giving her a small smile. "Don't want to knock you out of the way, Ms. Lady. You can go first." Stephanie bit her lip softly, giving him a slight nod.

"I wanted to thank you for everything. You were a cool, kind guy. I had a fun time just chatting, I've never done that before." Paul gave her a little grin, as he opened the door for her. "I feel the same way, that was pretty eye-opening, and just relaxing. I've never experienced anything like that myself, to be quite honest." They both stared at one another for awhile, before Paul ran his hands through his hair once more, giving Stephanie a soft chuckle. "I'll see you around, then?" Stephanie nodded, running her hands through her soft, dark locks as well. She felt herself giving him a soft grin, before she spoke quietly.

"I'll be seeing you, Mr. Levesque."


	6. Chapter 6

"So he's going to kidnap you from your locker-room, and he's going to take you to the chapel in Vegas to make you his wife while you're drugged and passed out. BRILLIANT!"

Most fathers would die at this description of their little girls being married, but Vincent Kennedy McMahon wasn't most fathers. He was a billionaire who's company was loved by billions, and he was running a machine day in and day out to keep the ball rolling. As he smiled at his idea, Stephanie rolled her soft blue eyes, chuckling at her father's expense.

"Dad, it isn't every day you hear such beautiful detailing of a marriage against your daughter's will, but if you're happy, I'm happy. But why Hunter, though? Are we just canceling the whole angle with Andrew out?"

Vince sat thoughtfully, realizing that he had other pawns on his board with this idea, but he knew deep down Stephanie and Hunter would make a powerful on-screen couple. Stephanie sighed softly, before more thoughts poured into her head.

"And Joanie...? We can't forget she's Hunter's love, on and off screen.."

Vince leaned towards his daughter, kissing her beautiful brown locks before rubbing his hands together. "You let your old man take care of this, you know he always has a method to his madness. Now go get ready, we got some kidnapping to do!" Stephanie giggled softly as she walked off, leaving Vince to watch her proudly.

_"You're marrying her? So, is everything we've worked for done?" _

Hunter rolled his eyes softly, wishing Joanie would understand that this was only an angle. Sure, parts of him felt utter guilt from the beautiful nights he had spent with Steph before, but that was just simply a night of conversation. Its not like he made love to the woman. Paul sighed softly as he listened to Joanie rant, wondering what point exactly she was trying to make. He stood up suddenly, grabbing hold of her arms as he caught his breath.

"Listen to me, Joan. You can't let TV crap get into the way of our relationship. YOU'RE my girlfriend, why are you so consumed with some crazy angle? I didn't see you this angry when I did the bit with Sable. What's the big idea with Stephanie?"

Joanie pulled herself from Hunter, studying his hazel hues before she found herself shaken from the whole situation. "I don't like it. Something inside of me just, it just.. It doesn't feel right. Something inside of me is telling me that this is real, I don't know what it is." Paul sighed as he felt his heart grow heavier, wondering if Joanie's gut feeling was actually true. It was something about Stephanie that he found amazingly interesting, and he couldn't lie to himself about wanting to get to know her more. He held Joanie's hand, before kissing her lips softly.

"Joan, its me and you. Take things in stride, and it'll all come together, alright?"

Joanie turned away, walking towards her locker-room as Hunter stood there, lost into his thoughts of what reality truly was.

"ALRIGHT, say cheese, happy couple!"

Stephanie laughed loudly, cracking up at her father getting a photo of Paul and herself in the mini convertible before he ran off, letting the TV cameras do their work. Only in the wrestling world would a marriage like this be deemed acceptable, and it's why she couldn't see her life without wrestling. Hunter turned his flatcap backwards, putting his arm over Stephanie before the cameras started rolling, making him chuckle to himself.

"You know Steph, you should act as if you're drugged out of your mind. You don't want people thinking you would actually marry me." Stephanie giggled at Hunter's words, leaning over on the passenger's side as if she had been passed out for hours. Hunter chuckled softly, patting her knee as he drove up to the window, asking the clerk if she could take their hand in marriage. As she gave them her blessings, Hunter turned to the camera and told millions around the world that Stephanie was now his wife. As Hunter pulled off, Stephanie cackled loudly, clapping and cheering from the success of their segment. She threw her hands around Hunter's neck, kissing him softly against his lips. Hunter stared at her in amazement, before she came to her senses, realizing what she had just done. As they studied each other, Vince's voice bellowed through the air, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two.

"THAT WAS AMAZING! YES! I KNEW IT WOULD BE GOLD! WHY ARE YOU TWO JUST SITTING THERE?! YOU JUST MADE THE WORLD GO NUTS! NO ONE MARRIES VINCE'S DAUGHTER AGAINST HER WILL BUT THE GAME! THAT WAS AMAZING! WHY ARE YOU TWO JUST SITTING THERE?!"

Hunter couldn't hear a word Vince was saying, because he had gotten what he had longed for months now from Stephanie McMahon.


End file.
